Carona shows his true colors

After OC Sheriff Mike Carona defeated his challengers on June 6, he told the media that there was some healing that he needed to do with his deputies’ union, which endorsed his top challenger, Lt. Bill Hunt. Well, Carona was lying again. The day after the election, as has been widely reported, Hunt was placed on administrative leave and told that internal affairs was investigating questionable ethical behavior in his campaign. That is ironic given that Carona’s troubles have stemmed in part from his own outrageous and unethical behavior, as reported in the OC Weekly, which is now reporting that Carona won’t last a third term, due to upcoming federal indictments.

We cannot let Carona get away with his persecution of Hunt. So what can we do? The obvious action would be to write to the members of the OC Board of Supervisors and ask them to stop Carona. I emailed Supervisor Chris Norby today and heard back from him right away. He indicated that he wants to know more about the allegations against Hunt. I don’t think he is very happy with Carona’s latest actions. Even OC Register columnist Frank Mickadeit, who has given Carona many free passes, is now questioning his attack on Hunt. He writes that Carona should have referred the matter to the State Attorney General’s office if he wanted to “stay above it all.” That’s right – but Carona isn’t interested in protocol – he wants to send a message by ruining Hunt.

I think Carona is going to lose a lot of support if he continues to go after Hunt. We need to take action now – please take the time to email the OC Supervisors today and ask them to put a leash on their mad dog Sheriff. This time he has gone too far. It may also be time to start thinking about a recall. The last time Hunt’s campaign manager, Tim Whitacre, led a recall, he got Carona’s buddy Nativo Lopez kicked off the Santa Ana School Board. Hey Tim – you ready for Round Two?